Lake Charles Chinese Restaurant Closes After 40+ Years

Lake Charles, LA [KNGT-FM] - One of Lake Charles' beloved Chinese restaurants, Peking Garden, has announced that it has closed its doors for good. The longtime restaurant has been a fixture in Lake Charles and throughout Southwest Louisiana for more than four decades, serving generations of customers and creating countless memories along the way.

Located at 2433 Broad Street in Lake Charles, Peking Garden had been serving up delicious Chinese cuisine for 42 years. Personally, the news saddens me, as it was one of my favorite places to eat.

If you've ever dined at Peking Garden, you know exactly what made the restaurant so special. Among its most popular menu items were its famous egg rolls, which earned recognition multiple times in Best of Lagniappe Magazine, an awards program voted on by readers.

Let's talk about those egg rolls for a minute. They were practically a meal in themselves! I always liked to call them burrito-sized egg rolls because, honestly, they were that big. These things were monsters! The restaurant made them fresh every day, and in all the times I dined there, I never once received an egg roll that tasted old or stale.

They were always hot, fresh, crunchy, and absolutely delicious. For many customers, those egg rolls alone were reason enough to make a trip to Peking Gardens.

Get our free mobile app

Now, let's talk nostalgia for a moment.

I can remember when I was in high school, from 1986 to 1990, Peking Gardens was our go-to spot for taking our homecoming and prom dates. It was one of those places that helped make special occasions even more memorable. Whether you were celebrating a big night, enjoying dinner with friends, or simply looking for a great meal, Peking Garden was a familiar and welcoming destination.

My favorite thing to order at Peking Garden was Two Fold. I loved their shrimp toast as an appetizer, and then my go-to meal was the Mongolian Beef with no vegetables, with extra meat and two egg rolls.

List the top 5 Chinese food dishes people loved to eat

Chicken Lo Mein
Egg Rolls
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Chicken Fried Rice
General Tso's Chicken

Later in life, the restaurant continued to be a favorite place to stop in for a business lunch or enjoy a date night in the evening. And who could forget those flaming volcano drinks? They were part of the experience and added a little extra excitement to an evening out.

For 42 years, Peking Garden was more than just a Chinese restaurant. It was a place where people gathered, celebrated milestones, enjoyed favorite dishes, and made memories that would last a lifetime.

The owners of Peking Garden announced on Facebook last week that they had made the difficult decision to close the restaurant. While the announcement marks the end of an era for the local dining scene, the memories and meals shared within those walls will undoubtedly live on.

Peking Garden statement:

To our customers, Peking Garden have closed and we do not expect to reopen. We thank you for 42 great years. We are sorry for being unable to provide more notice.

After more than four decades in business, Peking Garden leaves behind a lasting legacy in Lake Charles. For longtime customers like me, it is sad to say goodbye to a restaurant that was such a big part of our lives.

Thank you, Peking Garden, for 42 years of great food, unforgettable egg rolls, and wonderful memories. You will certainly be missed!